Lust, Caution (film)
Lust, Caution is a 2007 espionage thriller film directed by Ang Lee, based on the novella of the same name published in 1979 by Chinese author Eileen Chang. The story is mostly set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when it was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army and ruled by the puppet government led by Wang Jingwei. It depicts a group of Chinese university students from the Lingnan University who plot to assassinate a high-ranking special agentand recruiter of the puppet government using an attractive young woman to lure him into a trap. With this film, Lee won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival for the second time, the first being with''Brokeback Mountain.[3] The film adaptation and the story are loosely based on events that took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. The film's explicit sex scenes resulted in the film being rated NC-17 in the United States. Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lust,_Caution_(film)# hide *1 Plot *2 Cast *3 Release *4 Accolades *5 Controversies **5.1 Censorship **5.2 Country of production **5.3 Defamation *6 Critical reception **6.1 Anachronisms *7 Box office *8 Home media *9 See also *10 References *11 External links Plothttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=1 edit In 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai, a well-dressed, attractive young Chinese woman, "Mrs. Mai", is sitting in a café in a posh neighborhood. When she makes a call to a man, her seemingly innocuous dialogue is a coded signal that prompts a cell of young resistance agents to load their weapons and spring into action. ;Hong Kong 1938 The film then flashes back in time to the events in 1938 that led up to the transformation of the shy, inexperienced university student Wong Chia Chi into the glamorously dressed and seemingly well-to-do Mrs. Mai, her cover role in the Chinese resistance against Japanese invasion. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chia Chi had been left behind in China by her father, who is going to re-marry in the United Kingdom. Chia Chi flees from Shanghai to Hong Kong and attends her first year at Lingnan University. A male student named Kuang Yu Min (Leehom Wang) invites her to join his patriotic drama club. Chia Chi becomes a lead actress in the club, inspiring both her audience and her new-found friend Kuang. Fired up from the drama troupe's patriotic plays, Kuang urges the group to make a more concrete contribution to the war against Japan. He devises a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee, who is a special agent and recruiter of the puppet government set up by the Japanese Government in China. The beautiful Chia Chi is chosen to take on the undercover role of ''Mrs Mai, the elegant wife of the owner of a Hong Kong based trading company. She insinuates herself in the social circle of Mrs. Yee. She catches the eye of Mr. Yee and tries to lure him into a location where he can be assassinated. Yee is attracted to Chia Chi and once steps very close to the trap but withdraws at the last minute. It comes to light that Chia Chi is still a virgin, and she reluctantly consents to sleeping with Liang Jun-Sheng, another student involved in the plot to kill Mr. Yee, in order to play into her role as a married woman if she were to sleep with Mr. Yee. It is obvious that Kuang is upset by this, but nevertheless agrees to the two "practicing" every following night. But not long after that, Mr. and Mrs. Yee move back to Shanghai all of a sudden, leaving the students with no further chance to complete their assassination plan. With Yee gone, the university students believe there is no need to maintain the facade and therefore pack up and clean up the rented apartment. An armed subordinate of Yee turns up in their apartment unannounced and finds their sudden packing very suspicious. Spotting their university tank tops, the subordinate realises that "Mr. & Mrs. Mai" are not who they claim they are. The university students kill the subordinate and are forced to go into hiding afterward. ;Shanghai, 1942 In Shanghai, three years later, Chia Chi again encounters Kuang, who is now an undercover agent of the KMT, which is seeking to overturn the Japanese occupation force and their puppet government. He enlists her into a renewed assassination plan to kill Yee. By this time, Mr. Yee has become the head of secret police department under the puppet government and is responsible for capturing and executing resistance agents who are working for the KMT. Eventually, Chia Chi becomes Mr. Yee's mistress. During their first encounter Yee has very rough sex with Chia Chi, throwing her down onto the bed and tying her up with his belt. However, over the weeks that follow their sexual relationship becomes very passionate and deeply emotional, but also very conflicted for both of them, especially for Chia Chi, who is setting her lover up for assassination. When Chia Chi reports to her superior officer in the KMT, she exhorts him to carry out the assassination soon, so that she will not have to continue her sexual liaisons with the brutal Yee, but the officer argues that the assassination needs to be delayed for strategic reasons. Chia Chi describes the inhuman emotional conflict she is in, on one hand sexually and emotionally bound to Mr. Yee and on the other hand part of a plot to kill him. When Mr. Yee sends Chia Chi to a jewellery store with a sealed envelope, she is surprised to discover that he has arranged for a large and extremely rare six carat pink diamond for her, to be mounted in a ring. This provides the Chinese resistance with a chance to get at Mr. Yee when he is not accompanied by his bodyguards. The next time Chia Chi and Mr. Yee meet, she asks him to go to the jewellery store with her to collect the diamond ring. As they enter the shop, she notices several resistance agents waiting to spring the trap. After first demurring, when she puts on the magnificent ring, and experiences Mr. Yee's love for her, she is overcome by emotion and breaks down and urges him to "Go, now." Mr. Yee realises her meaning, runs out of the shop and is rushed away by his driver, and escapes the assassination attempt. By the end of the day, most of the resistance group including Kuang and Chia Chi herself are captured. It is revealed that Mr. Yee's deputy has been aware of the resistance cell, but did not inform Mr. Yee, both because of Mr. Yee's relationship with Chia Chi and because the deputy had hoped to use this opportunity to catch the resistance cell leader. Mr. Yee, emotionally in turmoil, signs their death warrants and the resistance group members, including Chia Chi, are led out to a quarry and executed. In the last scene, Mr. Yee sits on Chia Chi's empty bed in the family guest room, and informs his wife that their house guest is gone, and that she should not ask any questions. Casthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=2 edit *Tang Wei as Wong Chia-chi/Mrs. Mai (C: 王佳芝, P: Wáng Jiāzhī／C: 麥太太, P: Mài-tàitai) *Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Mr. Yee (C: 易先生, P: Yì-xiānsheng) *Joan Chen as Mrs. Yee (C: 易太太, P: Yì-tàitai) *Leehom Wang as Kuang Yumin (T: 鄺裕民, S: 邝裕民, P: Kuàng Yùmín) *Tou Chung-Hua (T: 庹宗華, C: 庹宗华, P: Tuǒ Zōnghuá) as Old Wu *Chin Kar-lok as Assistant Officer Tsao *Chu Chih-Ying (T: 朱芷瑩, S: 朱芷莹, P: Zhū Zhǐyíng) as Lai Xiujin (T: 賴秀金, S: 赖秀金, P: Lài Xiùjīn) *Kao Ying-hsuan (T: 高英軒, S: 高英轩, P: Gāo Yīngxuān) as Huang Lei (T: 黃 磊, S: 黄 磊, P: Huáng Lěi) *Lawrence Ko (T: 柯宇綸, S: 柯宇綸, P: Kē Yǔlún) as Liang Junsheng (T: 梁潤生, S: 梁润生, P: Liáng Rùnshēng) *Johnson Yuen (T: 阮德鏘, S: 阮德锵, P: Ruǎn Déqiāng) as Auyang Lingwen/Mr. Mak (T: 歐陽靈文, S: 欧阳灵文, P: Ōuyáng Língwén／C: 麥先生, P: Mài-xiānsheng) *Fan Kuang-Yao (C: 樊光耀, P: Fán Guāngyào) as Secretary Chang *Anupam Kher as Hali Salahuddin *Shyam Pathak as Jewellery shopkeeper *Akiko Takeshita (竹下 明子 Takeshita Ayako) as Japanese Tavern Boss Lady *Hayato Fujiki as Japanese Colonel Sato Releasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=3 edit The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, the second such award for Ang Lee. It was released in U.S. theaters on September 28, 2007, where it was rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America due to some explicit sex scenes. Lee stated that he would make no changes to attempt to get an R rating.[4] After the movie's premiere, director Ang Lee was displeased that Chinese news media (including those from Taiwan) had greatly emphasized the sex scenes in the movie.[5] The version released in the People's Republic of China was cut by about seven minutes (by the director himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.[6] The version released in Malaysia was approved by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia without alterations and was rated 18SX—those under 18 are barred from the cinema. His earlier film Brokeback Mountain is banned in Malaysia. It was released on DVD in 2008 with an R-rating since rental outlets and stores do not carry NC-17 titles. Accoladeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=4 edit Won: 2007 Golden Lion International Venice Film Festival Award The film swept the 2007 Golden Horse Awards, winning seven including Best Actor, Best Feature Film and Best Director. 44th Golden Horse Awards[7] *'Won: Best Film' *'Won: Best Director (Ang Lee)' *'Won: Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai)' *'Won: Best New Performer (Tang Wei)' *'Won: Best Adapted Screenplay (Hui-Ling Wang and James Schamus)' *'Won: Best Makeup & Costume Design (Pan Lai)' *'Won: Best Original Film Score (Alexandre Desplat)' *'Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year (Ang Lee)' *Nominated: Best Actress (Tang Wei) *Nominated: Best Art Direction (Lau Sai-Wan, Pan Lai) *Nominated: Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto) *Nominated: Best Editing (Tim Squyres) 27th Hong Kong Film Awards *'Won: Best Asian Film (Ang Lee)' 65th Golden Globe Awards *Nominated: Best Foreign Film 61st British Academy Film Awards *Nominated: Best Costume Design (Pan Lai) *Nominated: Best Foreign Film (Ang Lee, James Schamus, William Kong) *Nominated: Rising Star Award (Tang Wei) 2nd Asian Film Awards *'Won: Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai)' *Nominated: Best Film *Nominated: Best Actress (Tang Wei) *Nominated: Best Composer (Alexandre Desplat) *Nominated: Best Director (Ang Lee) *Nominated: Best Screenwriter (Wang Hui-Ling and James Schamus) The film was nominated for the Best Film in a Foreign Language BAFTA in 2008. Ang Lee was awarded Freedom of Expression award at the ShoWest convention for his decision to release the film in the United States uncut, rather than editing the film to avoid the MPAA's NC-17 rating.[8] Controversieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=5 edit Censorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=6 edit In its uncut form, Lust, Caution features three episodes of graphic sex, with full-frontal nudity. The ten minutes of sex scenes were considered by Lee to be critical to the story and reportedly took 100 hours to shoot.[9] In a number of countries, notably the People's Republic of China and India, many of the sex scenes had to be cut before the film could be released. In Singapore, while the film's producers initially decided to release a cut version there which was given an NC-16 rating, a public outcry stating that the producers of the film were underestimating censorship standards in the country (the film was released uncut in Hong Kong and Taiwan) prompted them to eventually release the uncut version with the higher R21 rating in Singapore. The film is rated R18 and was released uncut in New Zealand.[10] The following scenes were cut from the mainland China version: #Wong Chia Chi walking past dead refugees in the street #Stabbing scene cut to only one knife stab #Two of the sex scenes featuring the student, and three featuring Mr. Yee #A nude shot of Wong Chia Chi at window #Wong Chia Chi in bed after first sex scene with Mr. Yee #Dialogue modified in diamond ring scene so that Wong Chia Chi did not betray the resistance by warning Mr. Yee.[11] The film's end credits ends with a 18 U.S.C § 2257 notice.[12] Country of productionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=7 edit The film was co-produced by the American companies Focus Features and River Road Productions, and Chinese companies Shanghai Film Group Corporation and Haishang Films and the Taiwanese Hai Sheng Film Production Company. The director is Ang Lee, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, and the actors/actresses are from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well as the United States. It was shot in Shanghai, the neighboring province of Zhejiang, Hong Kong (at Hong Kong University), and some locations in Penang and Ipoh in Malaysia used as 1930s/1940s Hong Kong. Originally, the film's country was identified as "China-USA" by the organizers of the Venice Film Festival. However, a few days later, the Venice Film Festival changed the film to "USA-China-Taiwan, China" on its official schedule.[13] When the film premiered at the event, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council protested the Venice event's use of "Taiwan, China" to identify films from the island and blamed China for the move.[14][15] After the film's premiere, Taiwan submitted the film as its Best Foreign Film Oscar entry. However, the Oscars asked Taiwan to withdraw the film because some key crew members were not locals. Oscars spokeswoman Teni Melidonian said in an e-mail organizers refused to accept the film because "an insufficient number of Taiwanese participated in the production of the film," violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify their locals "exercised artistic control" over their submission. Defamationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=8 edit On September 13, 2007, an elderly lady, Zheng Tianru, staged a press conference in Los Angeles, claiming that the movie was about real-life events that happened in World War II, and wrongfully portrayed her older sister, Zheng Pingru, as a promiscuous secret agent who seduced and eventually fell in love with the assassination target Ding Mocun (she alleges that the characters were renamed to Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yee in the movie).[16] Taiwan's investigation bureau confirmed that Zheng Pingru failed to kill Ding Mocun because her gun jammed, rather than developing a romantic relationship with the assassin's target.[citation needed] Director Ang Lee maintains that Eileen Chang wrote the original short story as fiction.[17] Critical receptionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=9 edit As of March 31, 2011, on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of critics gave the film positive reviews, the consensus said "Ang Lee's Lust, Caution is a tense, sensual and beautifully-shot espionage film".[18] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.[19] Jack Mathews of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_News_(New_York) New York Daily News] named it the 5th best film of 2007.[20] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times named it the 6th best film of 2007.[20] The Chinese press gave generally positive reviews. In analyzing how successful Lee's film was as an adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story, literary critic Leo Lee Ou-fan (李歐梵) wrote in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse_(Hong_Kong_magazine) Muse] Magazine that he 'found his loyalties divided between Eileen Chang and Ang Lee. But after three viewings of the film, I have finally opted for Lee because deep down I believe in film magic which can sometimes displace textual fidelity.'[21] In an earlier issue of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse_(Hong_Kong_magazine) Muse] however, film critic Perry Lam had criticized Lee's direction: 'in his eagerness to make the movie appealing to a mass audience, Lee seems guilty of sentimentalism.'[22] Sentimental or not, there is certainly a palpable trace of Lee's sympathy for Chang's personal love life, “It was hard for me to live in Eileen Chang’s world...There are days I hated her for it. It’s so sad, so tragic. But you realize there’s a shortage of love in her life: romantic love, family love.” He added, “This is the story of what killed love for her.”[23] Anachronismshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=10 edit It has been noted by critics (including Bryan Appleyard[24]) that the Hong Kong sequences in the film set in the late 1930s[25] include "London taxis" of two types (FX3,FX4) that were only manufactured onwards from 1948 and 1958 respectively.[26] Box officehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=11 edit Lust, Caution was produced on a budget of approximately $15 million.[27] In Hong Kong, where it played in its entirety, Lust, Caution grossed US$6,249,342 (approximately $48 million HKD) despite being saddled with a restrictive "Category III" rating. It was the territory's biggest-grossing Chinese language film of the year, and third biggest overall (behind only Spider-Man 3 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).[28] The film was also a huge success in China, despite playing only in a heavily edited version. It grossed US$17,109,185, making it the country's sixth highest-grossing film of 2007 and third highest-grossing domestic production.[29] In North America, the NC-17 rating which Lust, Caution received is traditionally perceived as a box office "kiss-of-death". In its opening weekend in one U.S. theatre, it grossed $63,918.[27] Expanding to seventeen venues the next week, its per-screen average was $21,341, before cooling down to $4,639 at 125 screens.[30] Never playing at more than 143 theatres in its entire U.S. run, it eventually grossed $4,604,982.[30] As of August 15, 2008, it was the fifth highest-grossing NC-17 production in North America.[31] Focus Features was very satisfied with the United States release of this film.[32] Worldwide, Lust, Caution grossed $67,091,915.[27] Home mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lust,_Caution_(film)&action=edit&section=12 edit In the United States, two DVD versions of this film were released: the original NC-17 version and the censored R-rated version.[33] This film has generated more than $24 million from its DVD sales and rentals in the United States,[27][34] an impressive result for a film that only grossed $4.6 million in limited theatrical release in the United States.[27] Category:2007 films